Different
by Yoru no Chandra
Summary: Naruto goes missing for two years, but he was found bloody and, well, a mess two weeks ago and he hasn't said a word...Hinata stays late one night. HinaNaru Epilogue is here.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto characters, but I do own the story plot.

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Hello, please read the author's note at the bottom.

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_"There are times when tears aren't enough to satisfy the sadness inside. _

_There are times when you can't face destiny head on._

_But there are times . . . when one single gesture from someone can save you from depression._

_When one single caress, one small smile . . . can save you." _

_~Yoru no Chandra_

"Naruto, what on earth do you think you're doing?" Sakura asked as she pulled the thin blade from his grasp.

Naruto slowly looked up, but his dull eyes looked toward the window, not sparing a second acknowledging her. 'Those eyes . . . ' Sakura thought as she smiled at him,' his eyes are no longer the same . . . they are no longer filled with mirth, jolliness, or mischief. Oh, Naruto what happened to you? You won't talk to any of us . . . won't tell us what bothers you, what we can do to help.'

"Sakura," Sasuke called from the doorway to the hospital room Naruto was staying at.

The pink-haired kunoichi turned and slowly walked toward her boyfriend. She hugged him and he did the same. When they separated Sasuke moved and the people behind him came forward. Sakura also moved and allowed the other ninjas to enter the room.

"How is he?" Hinata asked as she walked toward the blond-haired boy resting in the white bed. He was staring to the window, but he clearly wasn't paying attention to what was going on outside or inside.

Sakura took Sasuke's hand and walked to the other side of the bed, across from Hinata and sadly said," He tried to slice his wrist again. I don't know where he got the small blade from though . . . I just got here a few seconds before you guys."

Hinata sighed softly and boldly brought her slim hand over Naruto's longish hair and stroked it.

In front of the bed stood the remaining ninjas. They had all come to visit him again. From Negi's group to Hinata's, to Ino's and even the young Kazekage, Gaara, and his siblings. This was their second time coming here together since they found Naruto heavily wounded just a few yards outside the village's boundaries. Immediately he was brought here to the hospital. That was almost two weeks ago and Naruto still hadn't said a word, had not even acknowledged their presence when they came to visit. No one knew what happened or how he got there, after all he'd been missing for a little over two years now, but they were worried nonetheless. Naruto had tried to slice his wrist on more than one occasion. The nurses had stopped his bleeding the first time since no one had been there to stop him and ever since then there was some one watching over him.

"Naruto," Ino said softly, " look we brought you ramen, yum."

No response came from Naruto at this obvious bait.

Sighing deeply Ino took the bowl of ramen and put it in the table next to him, maybe he'd get hungry and eat it later.

After that no one said anything for a long time, but watched Naruto who didn't look away from the window. Almost an hour later the tension in the room got to them and the ninjas began to talk. They talked about everything that was going on and about nothing. They tried to get Naruto to talk also but he said nothing. Finally, for some, the time for visits to leave came and they all said their good-byes to the silent Naruto . . . all but one, that is. Hinata remained, she said her quiet goodbyes to her friends and told them she would stay a while longer. The other ninjas solemnly nodded their heads and departed.

Naruto brought the silver slim knife to his wrist and would have cut it open if Sakura hadn't taken it away from him. Without any physical reaction Naruto turned and stared at the window already losing himself to his thoughts. He was successful for about a minute until noises from the door to his room cut through his thoughts. All of them again. Naruto tried to concentrate again to ignore them, but soft footsteps distracted him again. The owner of the footsteps asked something and Sakura answered. He didn't catch everything that was said, but he did catch bits and pieces.

" . . . His wrist again . . . don't know . . . the small blade . . . got here . . . before you guys."

Naruto inwardly smirked. Yeah, he had tried to cut his wrist again while the blade had come from the food the nurses had tried to make him eat earlier that day, they'd failed, but he hadn't. He'd taken the blade away without their notice, but when he thought he could get away with it, finally, Sakura had come out of no where and taken it away, leaving him frustrated to say the least.

A small and gentle hand brought Naruto out of his thoughts, again, but this time he didn't mind been disturbed. He was sure it was the owner of the soft steps he'd heard just a few moments ago. He was sure it was the white-eyed girl, Hinata. She'd done this a few times already so he kind-off had come to expect it and he wouldn't have stopped her even if he'd wanted to. After all he refused to acknowledge their presence. Why should he? They hadn't done anything for him in his time of need so why should he give them the courtesy they hadn't earned?

Another voice penetrated his mind, but he, like all the times before ignored it. Slowly, Naruto focused his unwavering eyes at the object he'd been staring at, the window. Within seconds he was back in his own thoughts and time passed quickly for him after that. A few times he thought he heard his unwanted visitors talking, but he mostly ignored them until he noticed from the corner of his eyes that they were leaving. 'Finally,' he thought as he released an unnoticeable sigh.

"Naruto? " Hinata called as she walked back towards the bed. This was the first time she stayed behind and she didn't know what to do.

'Damn . . . ' Naruto thought as he was forced to continue staring at the window and the dark sky behind it.

"Naruto why won't you talk?" . . . Nothing. "I know that the others have asked you that question a lot, but I would like it if you would talk to me about it . . . please Naruto?" Hinata sighed as she reached for his hand.

The contact almost made Naruto turn and look at the Hinata, but he was able to catch himself before he turned, however he wasn't able to hide the look of surprise that crossed his face.

Hinata noticed the surprised look and smiled. He wasn't completely gone as the others had thought, but that meant he'd been ignoring them this whole time. If-if he had reacted to the touch of her hand to his, then what would make him talk or look at her? Maybe if she . . .

Moments later the soft hands left his but only to come to his face. This time he wasn't caught by surprise.

Hinata hands lay on his cheeks, trying to get him to look at her but he'd composed himself and gone back to ignoring her. She let her hands fall to the side of the bed. It hadn't worked. What was she to do now . . .?

Meanwhile, Naruto's natural curiosity was getting to him. He couldn't see her, but he found himself wandering what she was thinking. Closing his eyes, Naruto wished she would leave like all the others and leave him be. He was strong enough to leave tonight and hopefully never see this wretched village again. Opening his eyes again, Naruto was completely caught off guard when Hinata gently kissed his loose fist.

"Naruto," Hinata said with a smile as Naruto for the first time since he'd been here looked at her.

Naruto's mouth hung a little open. Frankly, he didn't know what to do. From what he could remember, Hinata had never seemed interested in him, so why was she kissing his right hand so gently, like he mattered to her.

"Naruto . . . thank you for finally looking at me . . . don't look away from me," Hinata said as her hand reached for his face just before he would have looked away.

"Naruto what happened? What can I do to help you?" Hinata asked sadly as Naruto moved his pupils away from her. She could keep his face facing her, but he had still found a way to look away from her. Tears formed in her eyes as she lowered her face. It hurt her to see him like this because he had never been this way when he'd lived here, what had happened to him!

Naruto turned back to look at her. She was crying and it didn't sit well with him. Taking a deep breath, Naruto lifted Hinata's face with his hand and murmured, "Why do you cry?"

Hinata's face showed her shock as she stared at him, unable to make a single coherent word. He'd finally talked, finally after such a long time, he talked and she was the first person to hear his deep, raspy voice. Deep down, under her masked emotions and her shock, she was truly happy.

"Hinata . . . answer my question . . . " Naruto said quietly and watched as she immediately tried to do what he'd asked.

"Naruto . . . I-I . . . I was crying because you wouldn't talk to me and because-because you wouldn't look at me even and . . ."

Naruto's lips slowly formed into a small smile. So it was his fault, was it? He hadn't thought his actions would have affected her; after all it had no affect on the others. Slowly, with the small smile still in place, Naruto asked, "And?"

Hinata's pale face flushed a rosy red as she murmured the last part of her confession," . . . I was embarrassed . . ."

"Why?" Naruto asked grinning.

"Because I thought that you . . . weren't paying attention when I, ugh, kissed your hand."

After finally finishing her answer to Naruto's first question Hinata hesitantly looked up to see his face and couldn't believe what she saw. Naruto was glaring daggers at her. That wasn't what she was expecting and she would have looked down if Naruto's hand hadn't gripped her chin a second after she'd looked up.

"What made you think I wasn't noticing?" Naruto wasn't happy, how could a young, healthy, teenage male not notice her?

Confusion immediately clouded Hinata's face, but she simply said, "You looked away."

" . . ." Naruto didn't know what to say as he stared at her and let go of her chin. He shouldn't have lost control of his temper like that, his training had taught him better than that. Sighing, Naruto was the one who looked down this time. This burst of temper from him had reminded him what he had to do this night. If he'd been training for the past few weeks instead of laying in bed like an injured idiot he wouldn't have lost his temper, heck he wouldn't have succumbed into talking to Hinata in the first place.

"Naruto . . ." Hinata inquired as she gracefully stood.

Hinata's soft voice and movements beside him brought Naruto out of his thoughts. He had to leave . . . now.

Hinata silently observed as Naruto came out of his thoughts and for the love of everything that was good she didn't know what happened next. One minute Naruto was sitting there and the next he was gone. "Naruto?"

An almost silent rustling sound next to the window signaled Hinata were he was. Turning she was greeted with a half nude blond ninja. Immediately Hinata turned many different and interesting shades of red before facing the opposite direction of where Naruto was. Unfortunately for her peace of mind, she hadn't been fast enough turning around and had gotten a sinfully delicious eye full of broad shoulders, lean and sexy back along with just a hint of tight buns.

Minutes later Hinata decided that he was most likely decently dressed by now and turned to watch him again. Yep, he was definitely dressed all right. In the torn, but clean black attire he'd worn when he'd been found. "Naruto?" She asked again while she moved closer to him. She didn't like this . . .

"What?" Naruto asked as he examined the outside, quickly determining which roots were safe to take.

"What are you doing . . . you should be in bed . . . Naruto, what are you doing?" Hinata exclaimed as she raced toward the blond ninja, gripping his arm as she tried to stop him from jumping to the street below.

"Let me go." Naruto ordered as he turned to look at the pale-eyed beauty that was desperately trying to stop him.

"No-no . . . Naruto please don't-don't go . . . please!" Hinata screamed as Naruto's hands easily took hold of hers and released their hold on his arm.

Naruto signed as he held her hands. She was crying and it saddened him to know he was the one who'd made her cry. As he faced her, Naruto's hold on her hands softened. "Hinata, I can't remain here."

"Why? Tell me why?" She was trembling now and she knew she had no strength to stop his leaving. She feared he'd leave again and she would not be able to stop him and at the end she would never see him again. It would be like before though now it would probably be forever. However this time she would not cry in silence, no now she would fight as much as she could to keep him here, with her.

" . . . I don't belong here. I have a place were people care for me and actually value what I have to say . . . My sensei is a very wise person who wants me to be great and my friends don't just disregard me because all the older people do. I have a family there . . . in that place where I belong, Hinata."

Hinata's heart broke . . . A family . . . that meant a wife and children, right? How selfish she'd been by trying to keep him here when there was a family waiting for him where ever it was that he called home now, nevertheless her heart broke a little bit more.

Naruto, oblivious of the things going through the young woman in front of him, continued to talk. " There are many more people who actually care about me. Not like here. Every one scorned me and, in a way made me act the fool. Everyone judged me before they knew me. No one cared without proof that I was worth his or her time and, then, it always took a lot of their precious proof for them to even consider me. That is why I can't stay here, in this place where no good comes my way and, Hinata, I'm not sorry. There's no comparison between this place and that."

" . . . Naruto, I understand and I now know I wouldn't have the heart to stop you, I'm sorry I was just selfish, I guess . . . " Hinata's face was now looking down because she couldn't bear to see him go-go back to his wife and adopted family. Silently, just before Naruto would have jumped out the window Hinata said," Say hi to your family for me, Naruto. And tell your wife she was really lucky in marrying you..."

Naruto almost lost his balance as he stood in the window. Had he heard right? "Hinata, you want me to say hi to my 'wife' on your behalf?" He must have just heard wrong . . . yeah, that's right, right?

A bit louder than before and this time looking at him, Hinata said, "Yes, I know it'll seem weird to your wife, but could you do that for me?" It was true; he was married. His question had cleared it. Even though she didn't show it, Hinata was at that moment flooded by pure unadulterated sadness.

"Sure," Naruto said as he, once again, stood facing Hinata. "There's just one problem Hinata . . . I don't have one."

"Excuse me?" Hinata asked bewildered, but warmly shocked.

"I don't have a wife." Naruto repeated as he observed her. She seemed happy with his admission. "After all, I'm not of age, remember? I just turned eighteen."

"Oh . . ."

"Well I have to go, it's been nice knowing you, I guess, but I don't want to remain here any longer . . .bye" Naruto turned and would have left if, Hinata, once again, wasn't gripping his battered shirt.

"Wait." Hinata said and waited for Naruto to turn and look at her before she continued. When he did one small phrase crossed Hinata's mind, 'oh, boy, he's annoyed'. "Naruto I want to go with you, please. I don't want to stay here either . . . Knowing that I'll never see you again; I don't want to stay in this village. Please, let me go with you . . . I want to be by your side." By now Hinata's face resembled a Sakura flower. She had almost declared her feelings for him.

Naruto was stumped. He didn't know what to do. He could leave her here and let her suffer, but that was cruel. However, on the other hand he could take her with him and have everyone here and at home think he'd kidnapped her or had taken her with him because he loved her and vise versa . . . Well that wasn't at all a bad idea, Naruto thought.

Heck, what was the point in thinking about it anyway? He couldn't leave her here if she was truly suffering. Sighing Naruto gave caution to the wind and nodded to her. His sensei had said his kindness would get him into trouble, he just had never imagined it to be this kind.

Hinata's eyes sparkled as she threw herself towards Naruto and hugged him. Seconds later she heard a monotonous " lets go" from Naruto and she flushed as she let him go. She would be with him now and she would not have to worry about anyone tearing them apart, after all they wouldn't be found.

Smiling up at the young man she had admired from afar for a long time, Hinata felt the weight of the past here without him leave her as she jumped out of the window, behind him. She wouldn't be sad anymore.

Naruto, for his part, was very conscious of the young woman that would be a part of his life from now on. As he picked and scanned the roads that would work best for their escape, Naruto slowed enough so that Hinata could be by his side. Once she was, Naruto grabbed her hand and continued out of the village that way. Hinata's face a soft pink all the way out of there.

The end.

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Hello, this be Yoru no Chandra;

Ugh, I know I'm in trouble with you all b/c I haven't updated, but I've been hard at work while I was Internet deprived. I've changed and spell checked the story a bit, but I don't know if I have everything in perfect order. For those of you that have read this before you'll note that I changed Hinata's bold move and toned it down. Why? Well I read this thing and it got me thinking. Hinata really was out of her character in that scene I wrote so I rewrote it. And, well, I think that what would have been mildly embarrassing for most people, would have been a really bold move for her b/c of her shyness. Yeah, yeah, I know people grow up and lose some of their teen shyness and awkwardness, but people don't really change that much unless something really traumatic or important happens, especially if they still live where they grew up.

Also I deleted any mention of suicide b/c it didn't make sense when he was planning to leave. However, I did keep the mention of his cutting his wrist. Why? It's part of the story, a big part, and I have another use for it. Hehe, suffice it to say, that in this newer version he is not trying to kill himself when he mutilates his body. What he is doing, well, it will be explained later on in the story.

Jane,

Yoru no Chandra.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Different**_

Epilogue . . . just for you, my dear readers . . .

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As Naruto and Hinata crossed the boundaries to what Naruto had described to Hinata as his haven, Naruto pulled her to a stop above a relatively large hill, where the huge city below them looked its best, its most enchanting and said in a low whisper, "Hinata this is my home . . . The place I plan to die in . . . the place I want my kids to be born in . . ."

Hinata smiled over what he said as she continued to observe everything, every detail from the city, as Naruto called it, below. It was beautiful. In the middle of it there was a huge castle that looked made out of glass or crystal and all around it there were roads that led to different parts of the city, also the city itself looked enchanting with its white houses and green yards. In places around the city there were what seemed to be small forests or large parks. And the outskirts were also enchanting with its fields of flowers and grass. A truly enchanting place to see. It was almost sunset now, so the colors of the sun as it went down glittered all around and made the enchanting city almost look like a dream with the setting colors sparkling in the crystal/glass surface of the castle.

"I love it Naruto . . ." Hinata said as she took a few steps forward, before turning to look at him, a smile in her face, in her eyes and in her soul.

Naruto leaned forward and kissed her. A chaste kiss that spread warmth all over her body and made her even happier. He was the one she loved and the past few days she'd spent alone with him had only increased that feeling.

Naruto broke the tender kiss and blocked any emotion from his face as he stared at the pink-faced Hinata. He couldn't stop himself. She'd looked beautiful standing there with his home behind her, both shining in their own glorious way as the sunset and, well, he was only human . . .

"Naruto . . .?" A voice called from afar, carrying with it a kindness that could easily be heard and seen.

Smiling a small, reassuring smile, Naruto grabbed Hinata's small hand and started walking toward the owner of the voice who was seated a few yards to his left on a smaller hill nearer the city. Not looking back, Naruto said, " That's sensei . . . Hinata, you'll like her, she doesn't have one mean bone in her body . . . as long as she isn't in a skirmish, confrontation or even worse, a battle."

"What do I call her?" Hinata asked as she was led closer to the woman who was facing the colorful, glittering city and had her body turned slightly away from them.

"Call her Sil . . . or milady . . . She doesn't like to be called by her appropriate title." Naruto said as he turned to look at Hinata with a warm smile in his eyes though no longer present in his lips.

"What's her appropriate title?" Hinata asked as she smiled back at him. They were near her now and Hinata felt content, relaxed as she awaited her first meeting with the person who had showed Naruto such peace as she was witnessing now excitedly.

"Her appropriate title is her majesty. She is the ruler of this city."

"Sil? . . ." Naruto said as he stopped next to the woman who had taken care of him for the past two years. He could never forget the day when they had met; after all such a crazy day is never forgotten by anyone.

His sensei turned and smiled a warm smile at them. Slowly and gracefully, she stood and gave then her complete attention.

Not forgetting for even a second the lovely kunoichi next to him Naruto introduced her, "Sil, this is Hinata Hyouga. She has come with me from Konoha to stay here with us . . . I hope she is welcome to our beloved city sensei."

His sensei smiled again and turned to look at the pale, but beautiful girl next to him. "Hinata-san it is a pleasure meeting you. I welcome you to our city and hope you will accompany us to dinner tonight at the palace. "Her voice had not once risen above the height of a loud whisper. She was a true lady.

Hinata, herself, whispered a quite "yes milady" and smiled when Naruto's sensei smiled even bigger.

"Come then since it is almost dinner time anyway we might as well go together..."

All was silent as the two young ninjas walked next to the young Leader with Naruto in the middle. A smile in their faces as they neared the city.

Before entering the cities boundaries, however, Naruto's sensei stopped and turned to face them and said, "When's the marriage?" It was embarrassingly obvious in those few seconds of shock for the teens that said soft-spoken lady had witnessed their tender kiss. Hehe, she hadn't allowed the opportunity to tease them pass up.

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That night at dinner all those that attended were happy, and festive. No one said anything about the new stranger at the table, but treated her as if she had always been there, with them.

It seemed that the dinner would go just fine, but...

"Hey Naruto, Hinata... I hope that kiss up at the hill means babies are coming soon..."

"SENSEI!"

"WHAT!"

The end...

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Jane,

Yoru No Chandra


	3. Chapter 3

Different 03

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'Oh, God . . . ' Hosho thought briefly before he turned and ran down the hall. He had to get to the Hokage. He was gone . . .

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"WHAT?" Tsunade bellowed at the haggard medic in front of her. "That can't be possible, he was badly injured!"

Hosho gulped, "But he's gone. There was nowhere to hide in that hospital room, Tsunade-sama. I even checked the bathroom."

"Check it again."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Hosho almost ran out of the room, bumping against the Hokage's apprentice on the way out. Hosho didn't stop though he muttered an apology as he passed her.

"What was that all about?" Shizune asked as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. It was the middle of the night and she was drowsy.

"I need all the jonin and chunin summoned to me immediately. No excuses." Tsunade ordered as she reclined against the many pillows and waited for her loyal follower to do, as she'd demanded. She waited until the door closed before she stood and got out of her bed. She reached for her robe and drew it on, tying it in front. She headed out of the room and went toward her private study to await the arrival of Hosho or Shizune with all the other ninja.

Sitting behind the large wooden desk, Tsunade contemplated what she'd been told. It wasn't possible, he'd been to badly injured. Sighing, Tsunade closed her eyes. It was possible. He'd always been a quick healer, though if memory served, never this quick. Yet he was also stubborn and she doubted that had changed. But . . . if he had fled he couldn't have gone far.

A knock on the door brought the powerful woman out of her reverie. "Enter," she said and watched as Hosho walked into the room. He didn't need to say anything for her to know what the result was.

"Nothing." Hosho stated gravely. Four years ago he'd been a part of the rescue team that had gone after Shikamaru and _his_ team who'd gone after Sasuke. There was no way he could mistake the blond shinobi even if he'd changed in the last two years.

"Fine. Stay. The others will be here in a few minutes and we shall see what we can do to get him back."

Tsunade closed her eyes and waited. She heard Hosho greet Shizune minutes later, but didn't open her eyes. Time passed and Tsunade waited, her eyes closed but her other senses alerting her when someone arrived.

"What's this all about, I wonder?" Kakashi asked everyone as he entered the room through the window. As always he was late.

'He's here,' Tsunade thought before opening her eyes for the first time in over an hour. She'd waited until Kakashi's arrival since he was usually always the last one to arrive anywhere.

The Fifth stood and glanced around, holding her gaze over Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi a second or two longer. "He's gone." She said, her voice flat.

At first no one understood what she'd meant and confusion seemed to be the prominent and only emotion on almost all faces, but slowly realization dawned in them.

"Why-"  
"What-"

"How-"

"When-"

Tsunade held up a hand to hold of the harmony of questions, "I don't know. I'm guessing it was sometime in the evening, after his regular check up at six and before the midnight check up since that's when Naruto's absence was noticed. He couldn't have gone far though, he was still to injured-"

"He heals extremely fast," Sasuke interrupted.

"I know, but his wounds were mortal. He would have had a limp and many aches for some time still."

Sakura stood from where she knelt, "There were a few of us there until six thirty or so, infect after we left, Hinata stayed behind."

"Where is she?" Tsunade asked Neji. At his blank expression, a twinge of unease went down her spine. "Find her, Neji, she might be able to provide us with a more definite time line. The rest of you check all over the city. Naruto has to be somewhere, and I'm sure he couldn't have gone far."

All except the famed rookie nine, Tenten and Rock Lee left.

Sasuke stepped forward and away from the others. Tsunade watched him, it was thanks to Naruto that the sharingan was back in Konohagekaru, but Sasuke was still wary off all except, it seemed, Sakura.

"Tsunade-sama, if it's possible I'd like to have a few teams spread out farther into Fire territory. Naruto's stubborn, he might actually be able to make it farther then you anticipated."

The Fifth contemplated telling the Anbu captain to do as he was ordered, but refrained. Sasuke could be right and she didn't want to take any chance in losing her future replacement now that they'd found him again. "Fine. Spread out as far as you think possible, then come back. Hopefully you're runs would have been for nothing and he will be in his room when you return."

"Thank you." Sasuke replied before he and the others scattered away to find their errant friend.

'Please, let Naruto be found and brought back because this time I won't be able to protect him from being classified as a nukenin.' Tsunade dropped back into her chair.

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Hey this be Yoru no Chandra

I'm Back!!!

Ja'ne

Yoru no Chandra


	4. Chapter 4

_**Different 04**_

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Nothing. Nothing!!! Tsunade threw the packet of reports that had been sent to her. None of Konoha's shinobi had managed to locate Naruto. Even Kakashi's and the Inuzuka dogs were incapable of tracking down his scent.

And it didn't help that the Hyuga heiress was also missing. Speculation about her whereabouts could be classified into three categories - all of which implicated Naruto somehow. However, only one of the ideas made sense. Hinata had always admired Naruto so she could have left with him or follow him.

Whatever was the case, Hinata was missing and many were pointing a finger to the likewise missing blond nukenin.

But it was false! Everything they whispered about him was false. Even the title of nukenin was a joke. He was not betraying Konoha, she was sure of it.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"What is it Sakura? Another batch of worthless reports . . . or more damning falsehoods against Naruto?"

Sakura entered the large office and walked to where the Hokage's large desk stood. In her hands she carried another small pile of the worthless reports. "Tsunade-sama, uh, I was told by the elders that no more than four shinobi will be available for your disposal in the Naruto-Hinata case at any one time anymore. They are required to do their jobs."

"It's been a week since their disappearance."

"That's precisely their point. If we were unable to track them down when the trail was fresh, or if we had a lead it would be another situation altogether."

Tsunade fell silent. Few people wanted Naruto back and Hiashi Hyuga was too furious to be of much help at the moment.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama." Sakura whispered, feeling helpless.

"This is not your fault, Sakura. We should have expected something like this. After all he had disappeared once and escape was probably at the top of his mind every day."

"But why? He's Naruto . . . our friend, comrade . . . He shouldn't have felt the need to run." Sakura ended with a sniffle.

"Yes, but then we never found out what made him flee over two years ago. As far as we know, he could have ran away again because of the same reason."

"But what would be so strong a reason that would have made Naruto leave?"

"Don't cry Sakura. And like I said, if we had known that we might have been able to stop him from leaving the first time."

Sakura sniffled again and tried to control the tears that threatened to spill. She'd sensed when Sasuke had been tempted to leave Konohagekaru so why had she been so oblivious to Naruto's own turbulent thoughts?

"Sakura? Ask Kiba Inuzuka, Hana Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Kakashi Hatake, Shikamaru Nara, Neji Hyuga, Sai, Yamato, and Shizune to come to me. When you have finished locating them all and have passed on my message come as well."

"Alright." Sakura replied and headed out.

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"I knew I'd find you all here." Sakura called out as she entered the restaurant. A small sea of heads turned her way and Sakura warily smiled. If only Naruto had been able to see this. Everyone that had called him friend or comrade was here. They had all been gathering here for almost two weeks now so they could discuss Naruto and, recently, his whereabouts.

"Where else would we be?" Sai asked her, "All our time has centered on finding Naruto. We need a place to trade information and device new tactics."

Sakura sighed, but refrained from answering since she knew that Sai was in his own way worried as much as everyone else over the blond shinobi's disappearance. She headed to where the gathering was thickest so that everyone could better hear her message. When she arrived near the center, Sakura met dark, blank eyes. Sasuke had someday been Naruto's best friend and rival, but no one had been sure where he stood since he had returned. Instinct and the love she harbored for him told her to head toward him and stand behind him with her hands gently places at his shoulders and she didn't question it.

Once she was in place behind the love of her life and silently reaching out for his strength and support, Sakura cleared her throat and waited until the area was completely silent.

"The Elders have demanded that all shinobi return to your jobs."

"WHAT?" Everyone seemed to demand at the same time.

Sakura waited for the place to quiet down again and proceeded, "Tsunade-sama wasn't happy either, but she agreed since the Elders were willing to allow four Shinobi to continue the work at one time. So while we won't all be able to help there will constantly be someone working on the case. At present, Tsunade-sama would like to see Kiba and Hana Inuzuka, Neji Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, Sai, Yamato, Shino Aburame, Kakashi Hatake, Shizune and myself. I don't know why though so if we could all head that way now . . . "

"Sure, I'll just go and get Sis, " Kiba said as he stood and walked out, Akamaru ever present by his side.

"Lets go then, " Yamato stated and made his way out, closely followed by the others.

"I'll see what this is about and get to you later, alright Sasuke?" Sakura whispered at his ear before sidestepping him and following the others. Behind her, Sakura heard a faint, "thanks."

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"That was quick, " Tsunade said as she observed from her desk. All ten shinobi she'd called for were here scantly twenty minutes after she'd asked for them.

"We were all gathered in the same place when Sakura arrived. That is, except for Hana," Shikamaru offered.

"Alright. I presume you all know of the situation?" At the silent nods, the Fifth continued, "Since the all-out search is no longer possible I have decided to use only you ten for the ongoing investigation. You will be assigned into two units, which will take turns in the conduction of the case. The time span of each turn will be three weeks. The unit who is off duty will then conduct your lives by the norm until you are call on once more. At the end of each turn, both units will be required to leave behind notes on any new information they have gather so the other team can either follow up or know of your activities. Is this all understood?"

"Alright, so what team are we each in?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, I've decided to put you, Yamato, Shizune, Kiba and Shino in the same unit. The remaining five will assemble the second unit. Whenever you must leave the village, Yamato will be the cell leader for unit One and Shikamaru for unit Two. Sakura and Shizune will be the medic-nin assigned to each unit however their involvement stops there since their specialties won't be required while you research. Hana and Sai will use their specialties as trackers for Unit Two while Kakashi and Kiba do the same for Unit One. Neji and Shino will be the eyes for the teams so that unnecessary risks are not taken though they can also double as trackers. Now does everyone understand your roles?"

"Yes," Came the united reply.

"Unit One shall report here tomorrow at sunrise."

"Do you have any new leads then?" Neji asked, his voice monotonous.

"No, but I realized a very important fact when Hiashi came in earlier today. Two years ago only one shinobi of Konoha went missing. We were unable to track him down because it was just him. This time there are two and one of them can't hide."

"The Hyuga eyes . . ." Neji stated as comprehension dawned on him, still . . . "What if they didn't leave together?"

"If they didn't leave together, she went after him. So all we have to do is track sightings of the two or just of her and we'll know where to begin our searching. Got it? Now leave, Unit One has a long three weeks ahead."

"Right," Everyone replied and headed out.

Tsunade smiled, they were finally going to get somewhere.

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"What did Tsunade-sama want?" Sasuke asked Sakura as soon as she entered her apartment.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat before she realize who her guest was, "Sasuke, you scared me . . ."

" . . . " Was Sasuke's reply.

"Well, remember how only a team of four will be allowed to investigate Naruto's and Hinata's disappearance at any one time? It seems that Tsunade-sama decided to only have eight shinobi involved, period. Plus two medic-nin whenever they get a lead and have to leave Konoha, of course. So the guys and Hana Inuzuka were divided into two four-man cells. That way when one team is on call the other is taking a break and going about doing the normal assignments. I guess it's easier to have two units working together instead of many shinobi trying to assimilate four-man cells and getting nowhere."

Sasuke said nothing, but stood and headed toward the door.

"I'm sure Tsunade-sama didn't intentionally leave you out, Sasuke." Sakura said as she followed him.

"I know."

"See you tomorrow then." Sakura whispered before she opened the door for him.

Sasuke glanced at her, but said nothing. Instead he leaned down, lifted her head with his right hand and kissed her. The kiss was innocent, but long. When Sasuke lifted his head away from hers, he said a quiet, "thanks," to her and left.

Sakura closed the door and smile. Sometimes . . . sometimes he could be just a little bit boyfriend-like.

Her life was almost perfect now; all it needed was her best friend Naruto.

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Hey, this be Yoru no Chandra:

I'm Back!!!

New Chapter probably in by this Friday.

Ja'ne

Yoru no Chandra


	5. Chapter 5

Different 05

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Hello people. I just wanted to say that I wanted to dedicate this to my best friend Rene who just recently joined the army and may be sent to the war zones. He loves this story of mine above all the other ones I have so I wish to dedicate it to him.

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There were many things Hinata had expected when she had begged Naruto to take her with him.

Among them, surely at the top, she'd expected to stay with him forever. Well if not forever then as long as she lived. Of course even that was expecting a lot since he didn't love her and had never professed any such thing or committed himself to her for life.

She'd also expected to share his life in some aspect: to get to know the new Naruto. She wanted to know what made this Naruto tick. After all, the boy she'd known had no resemblance with the man she'd encountered now. They were like to different people in one body. What had made him change? What occurrence had created this new Naruto? She had wanted to know this and so much more the day she'd left with him.

And she'd expected to live with him in his new home. To get to know the people that had had so great an influence on him these past two years.

However, what she had not expected was to return to Konoha only two weeks after she had left. And to return knowing almost nothing about the man she had given her life to be with.

Yet that's exactly what had happened.

One day a week ago they arrived at the beautiful Sieloma territory and she was treated as a long lost member of the family by the royals there and the next, Naruto was telling her that they needed to return o Konoha. According to him, the complicated state they had left the village in did not bode well for them because this time they would surely have no limit in the time and effort they put in to find them. Or if not them – Hinata. It would be better for all involved if they returned and tried to clear the air then make another attempt to leave. This time trying not to create so much ruckus.

Hinata had just stared for she'd been to shocked to do anything else. What could she do? She couldn't tell him no if it would cause him so much trouble, but . . . why did they have to return? She didn't want to. Because there was a chance that they would not be able to leave next time. Well maybe he could get away, but she? As she saw it, it was not very likely.

And protests now were worthless because they were already in Konoha territory. Early tomorrow they'd be at the gates. And then . . . then what? She didn't know what would happen or how they were going to proceed.

All she knew was that her time with Naruto was at an end and she had learned nothing. Nothing that would make her feel closer to him. And she truly wanted to.

So, as they sat by the campfire, each at opposite sides, Hinata desperately sought something to liven the time they spent. To make there last day memorable.

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The fire was hypnotic. He couldn't tear his eyes from it even though he knew he should. A good host always took care of his guest. Not that Hinata was his guest; after all, they were camping out in the open under the cover of many leafed trees beneath a cloudy sky. But, still, he was ignoring her.

Not that he meant to ignore her, it's just that there was nothing to say – err, well actually there was but he didn't think it was that important . . . Okay so it was important but . . . Fine, he felt bad about forcing her to return to Konoha and he didn't know how to make up for it.

And that was the crux of the problem; Hinata had left Konoha just like he had over two years ago. Her reasons or his didn't matter now. But they had to return. There was no other way.

The disappearance act they'd pulled had garnered too much suspicion and he did not want his home involved in a war over them. Especially with so many people who were precious to him there. Once everything was settled he'd talk with the Hokage and get a leave or absence fro her for him and if possible Hinata too. He owed her that much for the pain he was going to be putting her through the next few days.

But that's all he would do; if she was not allowed to accompany him so be it. He owed her nothing more. So why was it that he felt a pang of guilt when he thought of his decision? Fuck. It shouldn't matter. She shouldn't matter; after all, he could remember almost nothing of her, unless he was forgetting something?

Whatever. If he'd forgotten something it was not important and if it were he'd remember eventually. Now - hell's bells! He might as well get the necessary conversation over with. If any good came of it at least he'd have a reprieve of his damning thoughts.

"Hinata?" He called out to her softly since there really was no reason for him to talk to her otherwise. But he obviously still surprised her for her eyes widened as she shifted her gaze from the fire to him and her pale cheeks flushed prettily as she made eye contact.

"Yes Naruto?" She whispered back a moment later though her eyesight moved back down to the fire as she responded.

Naruto inwardly winced at his name. It had been a long time since he'd been called by that name and he had yet to get accustomed to it again. He doubted he ever would though since it only brought on sad impressions of the past.

"Ugh, about tomorrow." He began and waited for her attention to come back to him before he started up again." Let me do all the talking, all right? I . . . don't want to get you in trouble than we are already in."

Hinata narrowed her pale eyes and seemed to be in deep thought for the next minute or so before glancing up at the rustling leafs overhead and saying, "What will you say? Shouldn't I know so that we don't contradict each other someday?"

Naruto pressed his lips together but inwardly acknowledge that she was right. "We – or rather I – left in a panic two weeks ago. I didn't really recognize anyone and you - worried about me – chased after me hoping to catch up to me before leaving Konoha grounds or bumping into someone who would let the Fifth know where you were going and why. Unfortunately neither of those happened and, afraid to lose sight of me, you kept on going. We headed northwest for almost two days getting pretty close to the border of the land of wind but still within its boundaries. There I had a small cottage and we stayed there until you convinced me to return to Konoha."

Again Hinata stayed quiet for sometime, her eyes locked on the branches above though he was pretty sure she was nothing.

You have been giving this some thought, haven't you? I know we cannot tell the truth but your story wouldn't hold up against Anbu interrogation."

"Why not?"

She bit her lower lip thoughtfully before looking at him and saying, "What amnesia? When did it happen? Why were you in a panic? Where exactly is this cottage? What does it look like? There are so many details that -?

'Don't worry about that, I have everything figured out. I will ensure that when they first interrogate us you are not suspected off and, more importantly, that we are questioned together. Let me answer everything unless the questions asked to you directly. Think before you answer and if you are not sure what to say or if you don't think you should know the answer – don't answer. I'll do it. If I'm not allowed to finish, pick up where I left off and don't lie about anything more than you absolutely have too. Got it?"

"But-?"

"The less you know the better." He said as he laid down to get some sleep. A few seconds later he was more than sure that he heard Hinata call him "arrogant jerk" before she too shuffled around to get some sleep though he doubted she'd meant for him to her. Naruto's expression never wavered though inside he was smiling. Yep, he'd definitely deserved that but it was for the best if she became disillusioned with him as soon as possible. It would hurt her less if he ad to leave her behind.

Not that he was claiming to be loved by her but she definitely felt something toward him. Otherwise he doubted she would have allowed him to kiss her a week ago or been so attentive to him the two weeks prior to that. Come to think of it, why had he kissed her? Now that he looked back on it he couldn't come up with a reason as to why he'd allowed himself to live in the moment. Such an act was no longer him; the him he knew now and was comfortable with. Would occurrences like that happen to him on a regular basis not that he was returning to the village that saw him born and grow into a deficient boy in want of the most maternal of feelings?

He didn't want such a thing to happen. It . . . it unnerved him. And he didn't like that one bit. His new life depended on control and anything that threatened to unbalance it was to be avoided or eradicated. But how did he get rid of this threat when it encompassed an entire village and its people?

Huh. He'd have to deal, wouldn't he? Well, there really was no word to describe how much he detested his position now. He had never been good at just dealing – he either took care of the problem or he let it go completely but never (okay fine rarely) did he just stand around and allow what was bothering him to continue standing. Shit. FUCK!!!

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The next morning Hinata and Naruto had eaten what remained of their packaged rations and started to clean up the place in silence.

And it would have continued if Hinata hadn't begun to erase the evidence of their staying there. That Naruto couldn't allow after all they wanted a trace of their travel within Wind territory.

"Don't."

Hinata froze. What did he want now? Turning to face him, she quirked her eyebrow and left it at that. Let him take it however he wanted. Unfortunately for her, Naruto was looking around the camp area and completely missed the look she sent him. Great, she got up the courage to show her displeasure with him and he didn't notice.

"What?"

When Naruto just turned to face her but said nothing, Hinata swallowed her growing irritation and asked him again what he wanted.

"Oh, ugh, don't erase all evidence of our stay here. Remember we are not criminals or on a mission, but returning after I panicked. Besides, I want them to find some trace of our return trip."

Hinata furrowed her brows in concentration, "But we are not northwest."

"Not exactly, but we're high enough that our story will hold." He replied without seeming concerned.

"With only one campfire?"

"Hinata, I told you not to worry about it. I'll handle everything."

That tone!!! It was so patronizing and she hated it! Hinata bit her tongue to keep quiet when she really wanted to bite his head off. How the hell had she not noticed this side of Naruto on their way to Sieloma?

Wait, she hadn't seen this side because he hadn't shown it to her. He'd been kind, patient, different, but not in a bad way. Yet, now he was different again. Exactly who was he now?

Mentally sighing, Hinata dropped the piece of wood she'd been holding. She wished she'd stayed longer in Sieloma. She was sure she would have met the real Naruto there. And would now be able to tell if this Naruto was the real one or if he was preoccupied about something. Then again . . .

Maybe he was more worried than he let on. That would explain his rude behavior, wouldn't it?

"Ready to go?" Naruto called out as he picked up the small pack and slung the strap over his head. Then he pushed the main compartment back so it rested behind his right hip.

Hinata nodded. And seconds later was running besides him on the ground. She refused to ask why they didn't just take to the trees because she was pretty sure that he'd say something stupid to her again. And that would be the last straw.

Thankfully, Naruto said not another word while they travel the rest of the way. It took over six hours, far longer than they'd estimated, but finally they found themselves yards away from the gigantic gate into Konohagekaru.

And Naruto wished he could be anywhere else. The urge to run was raging inside him, but he wasn't exactly sure why. Sure he knew that his life here could have been described as traumatic, but he was sure that it wouldn't have been something that would cause rivers of sweat to run down his back. So what exactly was he so nervous about?

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?" He answered without tearing his eyes away from the gates.

"Ready?"

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed in deeply to calm himself before motioning Hinata to precede him. It was time. The mission had to be carried out.

"Hinata? Naruto?"

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Hey, this be Yoru no Chandra:

New chapter. I hope to everything good that I get some reviews for this chapter. Its small compared to what I had planned, but I ran out of time. Next chapter is one week from now, but PLEASE REVIEW!!! 5 minumin PLEASE!!!

Ja'ne

Yoru no Chandra


	6. Chapter 6

Different 06

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A/ N at bottom. Please read.

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Naruto stilled. That damned name again. He thought he'd gotten used to being called that, but it looked like he hadn't gotten used to it at all. He'd just gotten used to Hinata calling him that. Well, hell.

Noticing that his companion had already started walking forward, the reluctant blond made his way to stand slightly behind her when she stopped to great the two shinobi manning the gates. Without wasting any time, Naruto hunched his shoulders, bent a few inches forward, bent his knees and all around tried to look like the type of man that was dependant on some mere slip of a girl.

And he'd succeeded, judging by the looks Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki were sending him. Naruto inwardly smirked. Was everything going to be this easy?

Meanwhile, Hinata tried not to glance at the blond behind her who seemed to be doing something that kept the guards glancing at him in an obvious attempt to believe what they were seeing. "Hello Hagane, Kamizuki. Long time no see."

Izumo blinked and seemed to snap out of some the reverie he and his partner were in and glanced at the young Hyuga in front of him. "Long time no . . .? Long . . . Do you know the trouble you and Uzumaki are in? You ran away."

"No, see Naruto . . ." Hinata sensed Naruto fidget behind her and correctly surmised that he didn't want her to say anything. "Look, don't worry, we'll explain to the Hokage alright? She'll understand and later I'll tell you, okay?"

"You didn't run away, did you?" Kotetsu asked though he never took his eyes away from Naruto.

"If we had, do you think we'd be back?"

"Ugh, no, guess not," Kotetsu responded and finally turned to look at her, "but things are hectic right now. People everywhere are accusing you both of being Nukenin and-"

"No!!! . . . No. N-no." Naruto stammered out then tried to hunch even further into his old-looking jacket.

"Is Uzumaki alright? He doesn't look well."

Hinata risked a glance at the tall, broad-shouldered, handsome young man behind her and nearly forgot that she had an audience. Naruto looked, well, pathetic. No wonder the two accomplished shinobi couldn't help but stare. But . . . damn. He looked nothing like the young man she'd spent the last two weeks virtually alone with. He looked pale, his eyes dull, somewhat distant and his posture screamed insecurity and fear. This guy definitely knew how to act.

"Hinata?"

"Ugh, Naruto's fine, just . . . ugh, I have to let the Hokage know first, okay? Now, can we go in? I mean, we did nothing bad, but if you want to escort us then lead the way." Hinata said and prayed to god they decided to stay behind.

"Ugh," Both dark haired shinobi glanced at each other then back at the pair of missing shinobi in front of them. "We can't leave the gates unattended so you're going to have to go in by yourselves. However, you have to go straight to the Hokage's, understand? We'll call ahead and let her know you-"

"N-no."

Kotetsu and Izumo glanced at the blond man in front of them in surprise then back at Hinata, their faces going mysteriously blank.

Cursing Naruto to hell, Hinata raced to come up with a believable story. "Sorry, he's really skittish right now. This is why it took me two weeks to return. He's very . . . insecure and-" Hinata glanced at him, "afraid of people. So if you could just leave it alone, please? I don't want him to become even more scared than he already is and bolt again."

"Well . . ."

"Please? Its what's best for him right now."

"Fine, but if you are not with the Hokage in twenty minutes when we call we're sounding the alarm." Izumo said though he sure as hell wasn't going to wait that long. He'd call in ten or fifteen minutes. That should be enough time to be at the Hokage's.

"Thanks." Hinata said then, on impulse, grabbed Naruto's hand, "This way, Naruto. Don't let go, K?"

Naruto suppressed what would have been a wide, lip-cracking grin. That's just what this needed. Hell, Hinata could definitely handle herself. Thank god. One less thing for him to worry about.

"Do we go to the Hokage's, Naruto?" Hinata asked in a hushed voice, ensuring no one of the people walking around them could overhear.

"Yes, it's best we get this out of the way first. Besides we need the Hokage on our side. And that can only be accomplished if we get to her before anyone gets to us." Naruto replied in the same hushed tone.

"Fine. By the way, nice act. They bought it hook, line and sinker."

"Thanks. You didn't do that bad over there. Though I still think you should let me do all the talking when we talk to the Hokage." Naruto said, falling into an easy camaraderie with her.

"I still think you should tell me more."

"Sorry. Won't do it so forget it." Well, that feeling didn't last long.

Hinata bit her bottom lip and made sure her face showed no trace of her changing feelings. The irritation she'd felt last night blooming within her once again.

A few moments passed before either said another word. Naruto was busy looking around, trying to put memory to place in his mind.

"Last time I was here I didn't get to really get to really see it. The village, I mean." He said off-handedly.

"Oh, yeah. What do you think?" Hinata asked trying to downplay her curiosity though it was killing her to know what he thought about this place when he'd lived for over two years in a completely different environment.

Naruto didn't answer immediately but took some time to take in everything around him.

Everything looked new. Of course that was expected considering Pain had destroyed the majority of Konoha around three years ago. It looked like it had back then - err, minus the obvious change of terrain since it now lay within a humongous crater. Anyway, Konoha had favored in its remodeling the same colors as before. Tan and mud-red buildings in general and where they used to be . . . or so he thought. It was hard remembering where every fixture went.

Konoha smelled as it used to, too: of earth and trees underlying every ordinary scent that invaded the senses when one was within the confines of human civilization.

Hell. Everything about Konoha was like it used too. It was almost identical. And he would bet anything that even the people were unchanged. That's how he felt, anyway. Maybe it was because to him, Konoha was like three years ago. He felt like he'd just stepped out of the gates for a moment. But that sure as hell wasn't true. Take example Hinata. She definitely was more . . . mature since then. Fuck, what the hell was he thinking???

"Naruto?" Hinata called his name as her hand sought the upper curve of his arm. What was he thinking as he gazed here and there?

Said blond glanced at her then hunched onto himself and looked at the ground, regretting introducing this topic to her. "Hmm?"

"What do you think?"

He briefly contemplated playing dumb but decided to toss the thought out a figurative window in his head. What would he accomplish to that end? Right now he needed Hinata on his side. "Oh, well . . . it looks the same as before."

It was all he would say on the subject. Anything else would be meaningless at the moment considering he was . . . confused? No . . . Distracted? Yes that word suited what was going on inside of him. Images and emotions were bombarding him and leaving him truly out of it.

Realizing that, Naruto immediately focused in front of him and on the mission. Now, more than ever in the last week, he needed to be unwavering.

After his short answer, Hinata said nothing unsure if it was wise to talk about Konoha with him. He'd run away from Konoha, not once but twice, so whatever was going around inside of him she wouldn't be getting to know. The old Naruto wouldn't have kept quiet about his emotions but would have yelled them for all to know. Yet, this Naruto rarely said anything of what was going on let alone of what was inside of him.

Hopefully, this time around he'd stick long enough for her to be able to learn more from and of him.

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_We should have hesitated enough to determine if she was alone or not_, Hinata thought dismally as she stepped down from the window ledge into the Hokage's office in front of Naruto.

"Hinata? . . . Naruto?" Tsunade couldn't believe it. They were back. Just like that. They'd returned.

"Sorry, Lady Hokage," Naruto began in a visibly shaky manner, deciding to commence without delay so he'd have a chance to finish his side of the story. Any and all advantages he could get, he'd take. "I was a bit disoriented while I was at the hospital and I didn't recognize anyone . . . I was freaked out and ran. Hinata was kind enough to follow after me. She's . . . helped me recall everyone . . ."

Before Naruto could continue Hinata took a step back so she pressed against the front of the mildly quivering Naruto. "We didn't mean to upset you but we weren't anywhere near a town so we didn't know we were being looked for."

Naruto said nothing more and did not lift his gaze from the floor directly in front of him. So, Hinata was determined to partake in this? Well, what could he do? She'd already interposed herself into the beginning of an uncertain interrogation. Furthermore, the Hokage wasn't alone. With her in the room were two of the three elders whose job it was to help her rule this village: Homura and Koharu.

"No interaction with anyone, you say?" Homura asked his old voice still full of authority.

"Yes, Sir." Hinata once more replied before Naruto cold verbalize his own agreement.

"Why are you so nervous Uzumaki?"

Hinata froze for a split second before reaching for Naruto's hand in a show of unfailing friendship. "He's . . . not used to people yet. That's why it took so long to get back. Naruto's . . . unwell. And when we got here we were told that we were wanted nukenin. I . . . I only followed because I know how special he is to the Lady Hokage. I was worried that - "

"P-please stop." It was Naruto's turn to interfere, "I-I am the one who left . . ."

That had captured their audience of three's attention.

"Where have you been for the past two years Uzumaki?" It was the elder Koharu this time.

Surely that was the question burning through everyone's mind. "Training, I think."

"You _think_you were training for the past two years?" Homura demanded, his voice incredulous.

"Over two years . . . But yeah . . . After that guy-Pain?-I think I realized that I needed to be alone, but at the time I couldn't cuz of the promise I made to . . . ugh, Sakura? When my part was completed I realized I was emotionally unstable, I think, and I left. Then stuff happened and, well, I-I found myself unable to remember anyone or anything from here."

"You had Amnesia?" Tsunade asked. It seemed that she'd finally found her tongue.

"I guess."

"Very convenient for you, don't you think?" Homura accused.

"Ugh, no . . . not really. The accident-I'm not sure if it was an accident or not-robbed me of faces and almost all names and knowledge of my life before, but I had a gut feeling that I couldn't-or shouldn't-come near civilization. Towns evoked some sort of panic. It was a really bad time for me so I stayed away from anywhere that people gathered. With time I remembered some of my life before the accident but not why or how I'd gotten there. So I stayed and continued my training."

"And did you ever remember something else?" Elder Koharu asked.

"I can answer that." Hinata said, without sparing a look at Naruto who she was sure would not be happy about this, but really! He wanted them to believe he was a fidgety man dependent on her so didn't it make sense for her to answer some questions? "He told me he never really remembered anything of importance. What he did remember never included names or titles, just emotions. Forcing memories always gave him headaches so he avoided remembering."

"Did he tell you why he was found outside of Konoha four weeks ago?" It was Lady Tsunade again. She was staring at Naruto with a troubled look on her face.

"No, ma'am, he did not." Hinata said casting a quick glance at the shaken-looking man directly behind her.

"Naruto? Can you tell me?" Tsunade asked, her gaze searching his for something, probably hoping he would stop his acting and tell her it was a joke or something.

"Huh? I . . ." He shrunk back from her before blinking, "I was following some guy. He had raped some women who were traveling with a touring group and had camped some distance from where I was. People were looking for him and they found me. They thought I was a suspect, but then they focused elsewhere when one of the women said it wasn't me. They asked for help. I agreed . . . I set out to follow cuz it was either that or all those people near me . . . I couldn't-so I tracked him. Unfortunately, I was rusty, I guess, cuz I can't remember what happened."

"But weren't you afraid of big villages?"

"Uh-huh. But I'd never been this far away from where my cottage was so I didn't know I was this close to Konoha."

"How did you regain your memory?"

" . . . I got lots of headaches cuz Hinata was determined to get me to remember everyone. It worked some. I remember names, but not all faces that go with those names. When she concluded that I knew enough as not to feel weird here, we decided to head back. That's it."

"What type of training did you do?" Homura asked, including himself in the conversation again.

"Huh? . . . Ugh, just training. Basic taijutsu. For a long time, I didn't remember much . . . and when I finally did remember about genjutsu and jujitsu, I had to . . . accustom myself to them again . . . It was just to pass the time."

When his three interrogators said nothing more, Naruto quickly lowered his gaze to the ground and trembled violently. "If . . . if you don't believe me, we can go to my cottage and see if we can find the tourist group . . . Or you can lock me up."

'That's enough." Tsunade commanded before either elder would seriously take Naruto up on his offer. "Their both back. We've never heard anything that would condemn him. I . . . believe him. There will be no more interrogations until he feels more comfortable and then I will attend them also to ensure he's not agitated. Anyone who has anything against my judgment can continue this investigation by him or herself, understood?"

Homura and Koharu narrowed their eyes at the Hokage but kept silent since there was no reason to argue with her. They would, of course, continue the investigation even if they couldn't start it off with the main suspects.

It seems that was that. How easy it had been. Hinata briefly wondered how differently things would have been if they had told them the truth.

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Hello, this be Yoru no Chandra.

Thanks to those that reviewed. It meant a lot to me. I'm happy that I'm updating regularly again. So what do you think? I know Naruto's very different, but remember he's acting. Everything's coming along and you wont believe the hidden reasoning behind some people's actions.

Oh, does this chapter go by fast as well? If it does I'll see what I can do for the next one. Thanks P5yCH0.

PLEASE, PLEASE!!! 5 REVIEWS MINIMUM Thank you. lol.

Ja'ne

Yoru no Chandra


	7. Chapter 7

Different 07

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"It's settled. Naruto, Hinata welcome back to Konoha.

_That's it?_ Hinata almost asked out loud though she managed to hold it in. No way. But . . . Great for them, but it couldn't be this easy. It was Konohagakure! The best, toughest, strongest of all shinobi villages. In principle they wouldn't welcome strays back that easily or at all. So why . . . ? It didn't make sense for them to be taken into the Hokage's large bosom without being interrogated, tortured and thoroughly dissected.

"T-thank you."

Then again . . . Hinata glanced at the blond nukenin, her expression as neutral as possible though she was pretty sure she was pale. This man standing directly beside her was amazing. He looked and felt like a cowardly, dependant man. Aside from the fact that he looked like the old Naruto (only older), he had no resemblance to the Naruto they'd known and cherished as a fellow shinobi.

"Fine." Tsunade said and motioned for the elders to leave though they seemed to hesitate a fraction of a second before turning around and departing from the room.

"Naruto," Tsunade continued once footsteps were no longer heard out in the hallway, "your apartment is . . . no longer open for you. It's been over two years, so you have to understand that- Shit! Look I have rooms available in my home. If you want to you can stay there until better accommodations can be found."

Hinata glanced back from Naruto and wished he were farther away from her because he was giving her a headache with all the tipping her head back to see his face she was doing. Naruto seemed uncomfortable and was acting very fidgety but eventually he nodded weakly though he glanced at her as if silently wondering in a panic if they were going to be separated.

"I have my own home Naruto. I need to return and explain what happened to my father and family. They'll understand. And as soon as I'm done, I'll come see you, okay?"

Naruto shivered in a very convincing way and glanced away from her, his face a mask of panic.

"Hinata, you better go. The longer you stay here the longer it'll take for you to return. Naruto's already in a raging panic so be quick. If your father caused you problems bring him along when you return, got it?

"Yes Ma'am." Hinata glanced at Naruto and placed a hand on his trembling forearm as if she were lending him her courage though when she glanced at him, her eyes were nothing near compassion. She was letting him know that he could count on her to act the part she needed in front of her family. "I'll be right back Naruto, so don't worry. Promise."

With that said, Hinata walked to the window and jumped out.

Naruto was an extremely good actor. When they'd faced each other just now, Naruto's eyes had looked haunted, as if he was letting go his last chance for getting out of there alive. Someone could look one way and even radiate that feeling, but few could also express an emotion they weren't feeling through their eyes.

And somehow that reminded her of the old Naruto. After all, he'd been known as the number one maverick shinobi in all of Konoha. And such a shinobi was a very dangerous adversary.

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"Naruto . . .?" Tsunade called softly, watching the blond giant before her. He was fidgeting, glancing at the window every few seconds and looking like he wanted to go after the Hyuga heiress.

Naruto glanced at the older woman before him. She still looked young and beautiful. So his memory hadn't gone awry in that aspect. The fifty-plus woman looked like a hot twenty-something girl, fit to protagonize in a man's dirty wet dream. But, that in no way made her any less dangerous. She was Hokage, the strongest fighter here and he better not forget that tidbit. It could cost him everything otherwise.

Tsunade, meanwhile, took a step back. He'd taken a wary step back himself and his gaze had shifted to her feet. _What was going on???_ This was not Uzumaki Naruto, the number one maverick shinobi from Konoha. He . . . He was a shadow of the blond shinobi. Was this boy truly Uzumaki?

"Naruto, what happened?"

Tsunade waited patiently for the young man to look up at her and answer, when he did no such thing and appeared to have no inclination of doing so, Tsunade felt a strong wave of fury flood her veins. "You do not act like Uzumaki!!! I cannot believe you are him!"

Naruto tensed. Was he being an fool for inciting her so much? No, he was doing what he needed to do, he must be believed.

"Argh!!!" Tsunade flew at the insipid creature before her and hit him with as much strength as she could muster. The blow landed on an undefended face and sent the body head first in a collision against the wall on the left side of the large window. The glass cracked as he landed on the floor.

Naruto shivered violently, his face hurt the most but he was pretty sure nothing was broken though that realization didn't cause any relief. Ever since the hokage had begun to loose control of her emotions, Naruto had also discarded his own act. She had scared him, truly scared him. This woman had unknowingly used the emotions he still held within him from his life here in Konoha and used them against him. And he'd been left without protection, without a working mind in the few seconds before her attack caused pain of its own and brought him out of the maelstrom he'd stupidly fallen into. Now, as he lay in a heap on the floor, Naruto focused and brought his training to the forefront. Assignments were always completed. No excuse was ever accepted from anyone including himself.

With that in mind, Naruto straightened himself where he sat and looked away. His eyes becoming distant, and within seconds he was once more the indifferent boy that Konoha had found weeks ago.

"Damn you!!! You won't do this to me!!!" He heard Tsunade say, seconds before he felt her more than heard her drop to her knees and move toward him. He didn't move. Even when her deceptively soft hand caressed his injured jaw, he remained aloof.

"I'm so sorry. Naruto, I'm so sorry. Please snap out of it. Please!" She pleaded her voice rough as she mechanically healed the injury she'd caused with the skill she was known for.

A sob escaped from her, and Naruto tensed. Tears. Why oh, why were women so adept at them? When another one of those soul tearing sounds was let out, Naruto felt his fingers twitch and he began to feel a twinge of guilt. Damn. Double fucking damn. It was too much. Naruto turned to her and reached for her. He didn't know what he would do after he comforted her, but he'd figure it out when the time came.

Only that time never came. Tsunade had removed herself a good distance away and had turned away from him seconds before he'd caved in. _Great_, Naruto thought chagrined as he quickly returned to the pose he'd been in before the hokage's tears had brought him running to help her. Really, how stupid could he still be? His assignment must always come first.

Tsunade closed her eyes and willed herself to get control of herself before she faced the blond shinobi. What had she done??? They finally had Naruto back after all this time and she'd attacked him. Damn, but it hurt. It had been unbearable to see this Naruto act so insipid, so cowardly. She'd felt helpless as she stared at him and had found nothing of the old Naruto. She'd wanted to erase this man before her, to put in his place the old Naruto. And she'd lashed out.

A dry sob escaped. This being was Naruto. There was no changing it. But one thing was for certain, she would find out what had created his pitiful creature and while doing so, she'd bring out the old Naruto. He was after all the future Hokage.

What exactly happened these two years? Why did Naruto disappear without a trace? She vowed then and there, as she pivoted to face him, she would discover everything that had troubled her these past two years.

"Naruto?" Tsunade smiled softly at the blue eyed giant, her voice controlled once again. "Come. Let's get you to your dormitory. You must be tired, and the hit I gave you must have worn you out even more."

Naruto heard her, but made no move to do as she asked. Nothing hurt now; his fast healing had already taken care of the minor pains. And he was far more clearheaded now, thanks to what had happened earlier. He simply would not do as she said, not after what she'd done.

Tsunade didn't say another word. She walked to where he was and pulled him to his feet. She looked at him, observing for any change and when none came, the beautiful young-looking woman turned and led the way to the room she had selected for Naruto. She had reached the door when it opened and Shizune nearly bumped into her.

"Oh, Lady Tsunade, Kotetsu called, I think the job got to him. He was saying Naruto and Hi-" Shizune stopped and blinked, there behind the princess stood a very tall young blond man. He also happened to be a very familiar looking young man.

"Shizune, Naruto and Hinata are back. Let the gate guards know that they are here since the reason they called was most likely to confirm their arrival." Tsunade said as she gently shoved her young apprentice to the side so she and the still withdrawn Naruto could leave the room.

Naruto noticed the dark haired woman's shock but reframed from looking back to check how long she stood there watching his retreating back. Tsunade had left without ordering the girl to keep quiet. If his arrival spread too quickly he would have a harder time carrying out his assignment. Then again, those that could make his stay here difficult had already found out. First hand too.

Tsunade led Naruto down the long and winding corridor and up a set of stairs then led him down the dimmer hallway to the second door on the left. "This will be your room."

Tsunade opened the door and stepped back so Naruto could walk in and inspect the room she had selected for him. It was on the opposite side of her room, and not far away from her door. In total there were five bedrooms here, two on one side three on the other. She and Shizune shared the two sided right side and Naruto would be in the middle room on the left side. He would be close to either one of them if he needed anything. Plus the room was the largest of the three and sported a big bed and two chairs by the glass doors that looked out to the cliff side and ensured no one would bother Naruto since he seemed prone to panic at the moment.

Only Naruto didn't move. He just stood there and stared at nothing. Tsunade took a deep breath and desperately tried to control her frustration. Losing control earlier had made Naruto withdraw and he still hadn't recovered, if she took it out on him again things might turn worse. How things could get worse she didn't know, but she didn't want to tempt fate by wondering. So as gently as she could she pushed him into his new room and led him to the bed where she pushed him down so he sat on it.

"Naruto, I, ugh, have work to do. Get some sleep and when Hinata gets here I'll send her up, alright?" And with that the fifth hokage left the room, glancing only once back at the unmoved blond before she pulled the door closed behind her.

When the door closed, Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. Part one complete. Slowly he opened his eyes but didn't otherwise move a muscle. Before he could do anything he had to ensure there were no anbu watching over him. There were many ways to do that, but few where stillness was part of it. And fewer still which could sense chakra. Among those few was the toad sage technique. The ability to sense chakra while his remained unnoticeable was unsurpassable. The toad sage technique was dangerous and it was at the top of his arsenal, but it was in no way his strongest weapon now a days. Nevertheless, it was the best choice weapon he had right now.

Having come to a decision, Naruto slowly moved forward and leaned his forearms on his knees. He placed his hands together in the correct position between his thighs and closed his eyes once again. Concentration came next. Focusing was no longer a problem. Within seconds the natural chakra flooded him and enhanced his humanoid senses. The stillness was no longer quiet, but full of sounds from the outside. And people were no longer far out of his reach, but within an arms reach. It was an exhilarating experience to go from not knowing what went around him to almost hearing everyone around him.

Heh. No one was around yet. But a tight squad was quickly making their way toward him from the town. They would be here within three minutes.

Fuck. Those elders worked fast.

So he had to work twice as fast.

He stood and moved quickly to the glass doors. The sage fell of his body and Naruto brought his right hand to his mouth. His fox's canines grew inside and he used them to pierce his palm. Before the pooling blood could gather too much he moved his hand and pressed it to the glass. His blood spilled down in small rivulets, fast racing to the floor frame. His eyes flared red for a second. He needed no words for this, intent was all that was needed and after all, someone like him had no problem creating illusions for his audience. The blood froze on its way down. He pictured the images he wanted those coming his way to see and pressed his hand even closer to the glass. It shuddered beneath his hand, threatening to crack from the power, but it held on and the images ingrained themselves into the particles that man had molded together to create the transparent material. The glass glowed for the smallest part of a second and then cleared, the blood disappeared with it and it would only reappear when he disengaged the technique he'd created.

Just over two minutes remaining. He backed away and turned to face the room. Two doors were to his right, one was a sliding door and it was the closest to the doorway into the building. So he tried the one closest to him and found the bathroom. He guessed the sliding door opened into a closet of some sort. The bathroom had a toilet, a sink, and farther in it had a bathing area. He headed for the sink and turned the handle until the water flowed over his hand as fast as it would go. He spent only a fraction of a minute cleaning his hand then turned the water off with his uninjured one.

He walked out of the bathroom and made his way to the center of the dim bedroom. He knelt down and pressed his right hand to the floor. His wound was almost completely healed, but a few drops of blood still made their way onto the wooded floor. "Partial Silence Seal." Four blood red lines streaked away from the center and made their way up the walls and cross the ceiling to come together right above the seal he'd made. He removed his hand and stepped back. The seal on the floor sent a fifth line through the air and into the center of the one on the ceiling. Both glowed in sync once then dulled. A simple circle appeared after that but it as well as the seals slowly faded into nothing.

Just under a minute remained, but Naruto didn't worry. The seal and the cover were set, he was safe enough now. He walked to the doors and waited.

Two minutes later, five anbu observed with a keen gaze everything he did. They were positioned around various strategic points on the cliffside. Naruto smiled. They saw only what he showed them. And they would hear only what he allowed.

Face two complete.

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Hello, this be Yoru no Chandra,

Hello. I'm back. From Work.

Sorry. Stuff happened. (Our family truck overheated or something and we kept having to turn it off. Thing was we were nowhere near our house when this happened and we were in the middle of nowhere let alone near any stores that carried coolants or antifreeze. Which one is it?) And that was just one problem, there were others.

I hope you all like this chapter. I did. Finally we get to find out a bit about Naruto and the things he learned during the two years and some months he disappeared. After this it's only going to get better.

Review. Review. Review. Review. Review.

Ja'ne

Yoru no Chandra


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